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The Man

Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on October 23, 1940, in Três Corações, a town 200 miles away from Rio de Jeneiro, Brazil. The son of a football player, he was born with a love of the game; it was in his blood.

When Pelé saw his father crying after Brazil lost the 1950 FIFA World Cup to Uruguay, he told him, “Don’t worry. One day I’ll win it.”

Growing up in relative poverty, he and his friends dubbed themselves ‘The Shoeless Ones’, and dribbled with a rolled up sock stuffed with rags around the backstreets of Baura. Early signs of his genius emerged, and he was noticed by soccer
great Waldemar de Brito, who began to train him.

A Legendis Born

While he achieved recognition at the local level playing football in Brazil, the world was officially introduced to Pelé at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Showing remarkable speed, control and vision, the 17-year-old scored three goals
in a 5-2 semifinal win over France, then netted two more in the finals, cementing a win over the host country.

No other football legend can lay claim to helping his national team lift the World Cup three times.